Critic’s Choice
Photo: Canadian Opera Company / Michael Cooper
Christine Goerke‘s performance as the Dyer’s Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten was one of the great performances of 2013, and heralded her return to the Metropolitan Opera as a leading dramatic soprano. Subsequent appearances in the title roles of Elektra and Turandot have been memorable, but her most anticipated role of all, announced just days after her 2013 triumph, arrives this Monday when she sings her first Brünnhilde at the Met.
Goerke promises to be memorable in her newest role: her dark, powerful sound, fierce presence, and rich dramatic life make her an ideal fit for Wagner’s renegade valkyrie. The Met has assembled a superb supporting cast for what is rumored to be the final circuit of Robert Lepage’s much-criticized Ring cycle: Eva-Maria Westbroek as Sieglinde, Jamie Barton as Fricka, Stuart Skelton as Siegmund, Greer Grimsley as Wotan, and Günther Groissböck as Hunding together make up an enormous amount of star power. Philippe Jordan conducts.
Die Walküre opens Monday at the Metropolitan Opera and runs through May 7. Ring cycle performances run through May 11. metopera.org
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